One of the prime tourist destinations in the Rajshahi division is the Paharpur Buddhist Monastery. 24° 30' 0" North, 88° 24' 0" East are the geographical coordinates of Paharpur. This historical icon was established by King Dharma Pal in the 7th century. Paharpur is towards south of the Himalayas and the largest known monastery excavated. The center of the Monastery contains the main temple and the total area consists of around 43,200.00 Square Feet of land.

Due to its obvious geographical preference, Paharpur Buddhist Vihara (a place where all the Buddhist monks gather also pronounced as Bihar) has linked India and Southeast Asia since ages. As trade flourished and culture exchanged, Buddhism entered in this region back in 5thcentury and gradually religion has influenced all over.

The Pala Dynasty began here in this region back in the 8th century which continued till 12th century. King Gopala, who was the very first king of the Pala Dynasty, established his realm in this region. His successor, the second King Dharmapala established the most prominent political power in India. In his regime, King Dharmapal built Vikrashiya Temple and the prominent Paharpur Buddhist Bihar. TheVikrashiya temple is in the state of Bihar which is in the northern part of India. During the period of the third successor, King Devapala, the region went through the most of its prosperity.

Buddhism went through a number of prominent developments in India for the last time under the realm of the Pala Dynasty. Many Buddhist Temples were set up by the kings there after. Due to increasing influence of Hinduism, the Buddhism gradually lost its influence though it was one of the prominent religions in the area. In the late 12th century, the Buddhism almost reached a point of destruction due to strong influence of the Islam.

The Paharpur Buddhist Monastery is eminently renowned due to its distinctive architectural design. The exclusive terracotta plaques of the then musicians, snake charmers, animals etc. are must things to see. The outer walls of the temple are inscribed with the lifestyle plaques of the common people of thousands of years.

It was Mr. Buchanan Hamilton who discovered the remains of Buddhist Bihar, who was in charge of surveying this specific area on behalf of East India Company, back in early 19th century. In 1923, The Archaeological Survey of India started the excavation of Paharpur Buddhist Monastery. The excavation took place till the year 1934, and Mr. K. N. Dikshit, one of those dedicated surveyors who rigorously completed this job to extract the total structure.